God's Tough Love: He Loves Us Too Much to Leave Us Where He Finds Us

July 20, 2026

A mechanic accidentally swallowed some brake fluid and really liked the taste. Before he knew it, he had finished off the whole bottle. One of his co-workers caught him sneaking another swig the next day. “Man, that stuff will kill you,” his friend warned. “You’ve got to give it up.” The mechanic just smiled and said, “Don’t worry. I can stop anytime I want.”

We laugh at the story because we recognize the pattern. We say we can stop a bad habit anytime, yet we never quite do. The struggle against sin and the fight for spiritual maturity can feel like agony at times. So how do we deal with that struggle? How do we move past the sin and become all that God created us to be? The Bible gives us a clear answer in Hebrews 12:4, “In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.”

In other words, don’t stop now. Keep resisting. Keep pressing forward. God’s love for us is not soft or sentimental. It is tough love, the kind that refuses to leave us where it finds us.

Jesus demonstrated this tough love perfectly. He warned His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, suffer many things, be killed, and on the third day be raised to life. When Peter tried to protect Him from that suffering, Jesus rebuked him sharply, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man” (Matthew 16:23). Jesus knew that real love sometimes requires pain. He was willing to endure the cross, so we could be saved.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed in agony while His disciples slept. He was preparing Himself for the trial ahead. The disciples, on the other hand, were not ready. When the soldiers came, fear took over. Peter denied Jesus. The others fled. They were not ready for the suffering because they had not prayed. Jesus, however, was ready. He submitted to the Father’s will and endured the torture. The Son of God allowed Himself to be beaten so severely that He could not carry His own cross. The man who walked on water and calmed the storm stumbled under the weight of the wood that saves us.

God’s tough love is not cruel. It is the love that disciplines us because He wants us to grow. It is the love that says, “I will not leave you as you are.” This is why Paul can urge us in Romans 12:1-2 to offer our bodies as living sacrifices and to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Real change requires both surrender and effort.

So, what does this mean for us as we live our lives? First, we must be willing to do God’s will even when it is difficult. Jesus said in John 7:17, “Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.” The key word is “chooses.” We must resolve in our hearts to obey God.

Second, we must pray. Prayer is the doorway through which God comes close to us and we come close to Him. It is how He searches our hearts and prepares us for obedience.

Third, we must surround ourselves with people who will speak truth to us in love and hold us accountable. In the hard work of changing our lives, growing in faith, and/or advancing God’s kingdom, there are no “lone rangers.”

This week, ask God to show you one area where His tough love is calling you to change. Maybe it is a habit you need to break, a relationship you need to forgive, or a step of obedience you have been avoiding. Whatever it is, remember that God’s discipline is always for our good. He loves us too much to leave us where He finds us.

In what area of your life is God’s tough love calling you to change? How has God’s discipline in the past ultimately worked for your good? Who is one person who speaks truth to you in love and helps you grow? This week, what is one practical step you can take to obey God more fully?

Let us embrace God’s tough love. Let us keep pressing on in the struggle against sin, knowing that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in us. The cross was not the end of the story, and neither is our struggle. The new life is coming. May God be glorified in all we think, say, and do! (To learn more about Al Earley or read previous articles, see www.lagrangepres.org. You can purchase my book, My Faith Journal, at Amazon.com, a compilation of 366 articles as a daily devotional. Check out my podcast on YouTube, called “My Faith Journey”).